Oud Pick (Risha) – Set of 20 Professional Plectrums

Description

An oud pick — known across the Arabic and Turkish traditions as a risha — is the thin plectrum a player holds in the right hand to articulate every note and rhythm on the oud. This set gathers twenty professional risha in a single pack, so a fresh pick is always within reach in the case, the gig bag, or on the music stand. Each one is cut from durable plastic at a 0.71 mm gauge — flexible enough for rapid passages, firm enough for a bright, defined attack.

Material & Construction

Every pick in the set is made from a single, consistent plastic — a synthetic chosen for oud plectrums because it resists wear, keeps its shape, and gives a warmer, rounder tone against nylon and wound strings than a metal or bone plectrum would. At 0.71 mm, the gauge sits deliberately in the middle: thinner picks favour speed and light ornamentation, thicker picks push a louder fundamental, and this thickness balances the two so one pack serves both delicate taqsim phrasing and driving rhythmic work.

Technical Specifications

Who It’s For

The set works for players at every stage. A beginner benefits from several identical picks on hand — losing or bending one mid-practice is common, and a consistent gauge keeps the feel steady while technique is still forming. Experienced players use the pack differently: twenty picks let you break in a few, keep a familiar one in each instrument’s case, and always carry backups to rehearsal or stage. If you need a smaller quantity, the same professional risha is also available as a 16-piece set.

Playing the Oud with a Risha

The risha is what gives oud playing its characteristic articulation. Held between thumb and forefinger, it sweeps across the double courses of the oud for rhythmic patterns and picks single strings for melodic lines and taqsim improvisation. The same technique carries across the maqam repertoire of Arabic, Turkish, and wider Eastern Mediterranean music, where the plectrum‘s angle and pressure shape phrasing as much as the left hand does. A pick too stiff blunts ornamentation; too soft and it loses definition — the 0.71 mm gauge is a practical middle ground for learning and performing that repertoire.

Care & Maintenance

Plastic picks need little upkeep. Keep them in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight, which can make plastic brittle over time, and wipe each pick with a soft cloth to remove the oils and dust that transfer from strings and fingers. Avoid flexing a pick hard against its natural bend, which shortens its life. Stored sensibly, a set like this lasts through long stretches of daily playing — and with twenty in the pack, a worn or lost pick is simply replaced from the same set. Browse the rest of our oud accessories — strings, pegs, cases and stands — to keep the instrument itself in playing order.